A missing ship, buried treasure and some unique coins are all in a day’s work for Team The Royal Mint

The Royal Mint is never short of extraordinary stories and this one is no exception – involving (as you do) a shipwreck and a hoard of missing silver bullion.

So the story goes that, back in 1941, a British merchant vessel, the SS Gairsoppa was making its way from India carrying much needed war supplies including silver bullion destined for The Royal Mint when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank three miles below the Atlantic.

Seventy years later the wreck was recovered and The Royal Mint has finally been reunited with the lost bullion silver. A limited run of Quarter-Ounce Silver Coins have been created from the silver bullion so now members of the public can own a piece of the history.

We knew the story would be an absolute sitter and we watched as the coverage rolled in. Everyone from BBC Breakfast to ITV and Sky News covered the news, with some stand out pieces from the likes of Daily Telegraph, which ran no fewer than three pieces (one print and two online), PA, The Times, i, MailOnline, Daily Record, Huff Post, Evening Standard, Yahoo!, MSN and BBC News Online totalling 130 pieces and counting.